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Green Bay Packers: Mike McCarthy impressed by young players

By Lori NickelMilwaukee Journal Sentinel

Posted:
06/12/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated:
06/12/2013 08:11:33 AM CDT

Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy talks to an official during the first quarter of their game against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle, Washington, Monday, September 24, 2012. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MCT)

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- With four practices remaining until the Green Bay Packers' summer break, coach Mike McCarthy said this was one of the best assimilation of his rookies and first-year players with the veterans.

"In all my years here, I think this is clearly one of the better integrations of a young group into a football team," McCarthy said Tuesday.

First-round draft pick Datone Jones has looked impressive at defensive end. Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin already have pushed the competition at running back. Young receivers like Myles White are grabbing passes and learning from veterans. Jordan Miller aims to be the top nose tackle behind Ryan Pickett.

Practice hasn't always gone smoothly but that isn't the point right now.

"This team has a different edge to it, a higher sense of urgency than I can recall," said McCarthy, who is in his eighth year leading the Packers. "I don't know how to measure it and put it on a scale each year. Maybe it's my higher sense of urgency.

"I feel the leadership of this football team is a very consistent and steady (in) personality as far as the everyday work. We haven't had the big swings, the highs and lows, that are normal during this time of year. I walk off the field pretty much every day feeling that there was a lot of quality work that had been done."

The whole team is in Green Bay the rest of the week for organized team activities. Then the rookies remain next week for a strength and conditioning primer and meetings with director of player development Rob Davis before their rookie symposium.

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McCarthy said he didn't have set expectations for things like the running game. He was giving more of a big-picture assessment of his team.

"These workouts are great -- they're a teaching, educational part of developing your football team," said McCarthy. "We have to get in pads to find out what's real and what's perception. We'll be better, I promise you that. Big letters."

Rodgers on Jones: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been very cautious this offseason about not praising anyone too much. The team is not in full-contact practice and he's seen too many players who look good now fade in training camp.

But he broke away from that Tuesday when talking about Jones.

"I'm very confident that guys like Datone Jones are going to look even better in pads," said Rodgers. "He's had a great spring, he's been everything we were hoping for."

Progress at backup QB: Last week McCarthy said his backup quarterback, Graham Harrell, came back from off-season work in better shape. He's not the only one who has seen improvement. So has Rodgers.

"Graham's done a great job," said Rodgers. "I look at him as being in the same spot that Matt Flynn was in when Flynn was in his last year with us. It means more to him to be successful every day in practice. You saw just a slight shift with Matt, and it was no surprise when Matt got a chance to play how well he played."

Harrell has been working patiently with some of the mistakes and do-overs that have been happening in OTAs.

"Did we get 1 yard, did we get 10 yards?" said Harrell. "Sometimes it's hard to say."

Harrell said he worked with his usual trainer, but the goal wasn't to trim down to a certain body fat percentage or anything similar. It is to work out most efficiently.

"It's not like we're sitting there doing pushups or doing situps seeing if we can get a six-pack," said Harrell. "He calls it functional core. When you're standing up, you're spinning medicine balls, or doing them in circles. You're still getting core but you're also working the rest of your body."

RBs battle: Franklin is roommates with fellow rookie running back Lacy. They knew each other a little bit from the scouting combine in February, but they have very different backgrounds. Franklin is Californian, Lacy is from Alabama. They have different tastes in music. Franklin has clean-cut hair; Lacy wears his long.

"But at the end of the day, I feel like I've known him for years," said Franklin. "We don't have to get along -- but we do. It's good. Of course we're all competing for the job."

Franklin said they push each other to study the playbook more or to work harder in the weight room.

"Or even patting each other on the back for making a play," said Franklin.

"Eddie is a bigger back, he can bring some power in the run game," said Rodgers. "Johnathan, he's a shifty guy, he's got some moves in the open field, he's a potentially three-down back. It gives us an interesting backfield look."

Both backs have had their good moments, as long as that assessment is taken in the proper context of being a June practice. Franklin looks the part in the agility drills. He has light, quick feet that float over obstacles.

It shows what he can do -- like the highlights of him running along the sideline against Nebraska last year when he played for UCLA.

"I've got a long way to go. I'm confident. But...we're in helmets. And pajamas," said Franklin. "I haven't done nothing yet, I haven't proven myself, I haven't paid my dues."